How do I find a cybersecurity internship?

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What types of internships are available in the cybersecurity industry?

In the cybersecurity and digital protection sector, internships are often offered to put into practice the knowledge acquired in the courses.

Internship positions available in cybersecurity

Available cybersecurity internship positions depend on the student’s year of study:

  • Bachelors, licenses (Bac+1 or Bac+2) with internships between 2 and 4 months;
  • Masters, specialized Masters, Msc (Bac+4 or Bac+5). Within this framework, 6-month paid internships are offered as Cybersecurity Specialist – Policy Update and Information Watch, Cybersecurity Engineer or Cybersecurity & Digital Confidence Consultant.

In both cases, the internships are often integrated into the “DGSI” or “IT and Network” divisions. Recruiters require the student to have knowledge of cybersecurity, infrastructure (architecture, network, servers, OS, cloud, virtualization) and coordination skills in order to manage the day-to-day business of the department and its smooth operation.

What are the different types of cybersecurity internships?

There are several types of internships:

  • Unpaid discovery internships, lasting less than two months, allow students to observe the work of their internship supervisor. On this occasion, administrative and research missions can be given to the trainee, this experience is always useful to familiarize himself with the sector of activity, the daily tasks or the environment of the company;
  • Paid internships, generally between 2 and 6 months, allow the student to be totally immersed in a company. On this occasion, the student occupies a real position with missions and a more strategic vision of cybersecurity and digital protection.

Why do an internship in cybersecurity?

The internship as professional training

An internship in cybersecurity allows you to put the knowledge and skills you learn in school into practice in the corporate world.

The immersion of a trainee in a company allows him/her to become familiar with the business, to experience the concrete applications, the software, the management and the organization of a company. The experiences acquired during the internship are to be seized as opportunities for practical cases and concrete case studies.

Internships allow students to better understand what they like and what they will choose as experiences and specializations for the future: the choice of sector, the size of the team, the size of the company, the business specialization.

The internship to find a job

Internships are also strategic because they provide a competitive advantage over other students. Indeed, once you are looking for a job, internships are what will allow you to stand out from the crowd and enhance your know-how.

How to get an internship in security? (Career center, platforms…)

Searching for an internship in digital security

To obtain an internship, the student applies for offers from companies. These are often listed:

  • About the student’s school’s Career Center;
  • On professional social networks such as LinkedIn;
  • On specialized job search platforms such as Indeed, Welcome to the Jungle and Apec;
  • Or on the direct sites of companies that have digital security needs such as Orange, Thales Group, Datasguard, or the Bank of France.

Tools to find an internship in cybersecurity

The CV and cover letter are essential tools for applying for an internship. The student will ensure, as part of their resume and cover letter, to:

  • Propose a sober and clear form atting;
  • Write a text without spelling mistakes;
  • Customize to the company and the position for which the student is applying and to the concepts of cybersecurity, digital and computer science through school, professional, personal and associative experiences;
  • Fill in the practical information with the contact of the candidate, the mention “internship”, the duration sought and the possible planning.

ECE’s corporate partners

ECE keeps on maintaining privileged relationships with companies in order to offer its students the best conditions to find an internship:

  • A career center, a digital platform gathering all internship, job and work-study offers proposed by the ECE ecosystem;
  • Training and workshops to help students write their CVs, cover letters and build their Linkedin profiles;
  • Putting students in touch with professionals through round tables and the Valuation of Student Projects, which allows them to work on concrete professional themes;
  • A network of more than 800 partner companies andalumni, who are now professionals in cybersecurity.

In 2019, more than 9 out of 10 students were hired before graduation and about 80% during their graduate internship.

Does the ECE offer courses with internship periods?

ECE, within the framework of its Digital Bachelor and the Msc Cybersecurity Manager specialized master, offers to students mandatory internships between 2 and 6 months.

Learn more about cybersecurity training

Updated 2 January 2024